Aarakocra
Aarakocra (pronounced: /ærakɒkræ/ ah-rah-KO-kra) are a race of avian folk originating from the Himmel Mountains. Appearance Aarakocra resemble bipedal bearded vultures, standing digitigrade on scaled legs and displaying both a humanoid torso and an avian head. At their tallest, aarakocra can to 4.1 feet in height. Aarakocra are aided in combat by a pair of strong arms, anatomically similar to their legs, only with the purpose of holding and manipulating objects instead of grasping and pulling bones. Four fingers and an opposable thumb allow for greater flexibility of and dexterity with the appendages, while the same scales that are found along their legs protect the hands and wrists from the claws and teeth of potential predators. White plumage covers most of their body, with hints of black showing across their chest and a short, black beard hanging from their chin. A black band runs from their white forehead, across their eyes and both sides of the upper jaw of their beak, reflecting the sun’s glare. An aarakocra’s wings are sleek and black, able to reach up to 9.3 feet in length. A wedge-shaped tail improves their manoeuvrability during flight. The bones of an aarakocra are hollow and honeycombed by enlarged lungs and struts of bone to strengthen them, creating tiny pockets of space to store air in. This allows them to take in oxygen while exhaling and inhaling, letting them fly for several hours without the need for rest. Aarakocra have a short, hooked beak, the upper lip of which is functions much like an opposable thumb, fit for gripping and holding bones. The strength of their beak is enough to break apart small bones, while larger ones must be dropped onto the rocks of the Ossifragiary. An aarakocra’s eyes are an important part of their threat display. The sickly yellow irises and pitch-black pupils create an intimidating appearance furthered by the scleral ring that surrounds them. The scleral ring is a circular bone that expands and fills with blood when aarakocra are stressed or feel threatened. The lack of usefulness in developing their sense of smell has led aarakocra to be the only species of bird without olfactory glands. For the same reason, aarakocra also do not have taste buds, instead relying solely on auditory and visual stimuli for locating food. With massive pupils and forward-facing eyes, aarakocra have a wide field of binocular vision. Their internal ears are protected by barbless feathers along either side of their head, behind and just below each eye. Aarakocra can see in various shades of colour and ultraviolet light. They are also able to detect slow-moving objects, including the movements of the Tears Between Worlds and the movement of the sun, allowing them to navigate even when miles from home. A nictitating eyelid helps keep the eyes moist and clear of debris while flying. Reproduction Aarakocra reach sexual maturity between the ages of five and seven. Mating occurs during mid-winter, with up to two eggs laid in late winter. The second egg is produced a week apart from the first in the event that the first egg is stillborn. Incubation normally takes between fifty-two to fifty-eight days, while hatching usually happens in early spring. Chicks are covered in fuzzy, light grey down feathers, while juveniles have dark black-brown feathers and a buff-brown breast. Diet Aarakocra are scavengers, subsisting entirely on the remains of animals. Like their ancestors, aarakocra feed primarily on bone marrow. Aarakocra are able to consume bones due to several reasons, including a thick, stretchy oesophagus that adapts to accommodate large bones without the risk of cutting their skin from the jagged edges, a long, narrow tongue covered in grooves to scoop out the maximum amount of marrow from each bone, the lack of a crop and a longer intestine than those of other carnivores to ease the passage of the bones through the body, and stomach acid strong enough to dissolve not only bones, but also teeth and hooves. It takes about twenty-four hours for aarakocra to digest bones, even those of larger species. Language The language of the aarakocra is Rede, which is based on German. Society To an aarakocra, silence is golden. It signifies taking the time form exactly what they wish to say in exactly the way they wish to say it. Gestures are a more common sight between conversing aarakocra than actual verbal communication. The context of each gesture varies wildly. They are entirely dependent upon the time, place and circumstance of the recipient and the speaker. Aarakocra do not see too much purpose in speaking more than is necessary, and have no concept of “small talk”. They see is as a distraction, at best, and as close to lying as is possible without actually doing so, at worst. Similarly, aarakocra have no word for “white lie”, seeing any attempt at lying to be abhorrent no matter the context it is spoken in. There is little to no gender discrepancy between male and female aarakocra. Both genders are given the same opportunities to each other regarding land ownership, employment, leadership roles, voting rights, personal property and financial independence. There are no gendered pronouns in Rede, only gender-neutral ones. Aarakocra generally adhere to the philosophy of stoicism. While they acknowledge their emotions, they aim to not let them control how they act. They see knowledge as the highest virtue that one should strive towards, to the extent where education in Himmel is mandatory. Concepts such as wealth, power and pleasure are seen as completely neutral in their effect. It is how they are approached that gives them their adverse or advantageous effects. Death is treated in a similar manner, completely neutral and not something to fear, or try to prevent or delay. Because of their ossivorous diet, aarakocra see no problem with consuming the bones of the deceased. To them, it is simply having a morning, evening or afternoon meal, with the additional benefit of preventing the spread of diseases formed from corpses. Taboos Interrupting someone in the middle of them speaking is incredibly rude, even if followed up by an apology. It is seen as the recipient not respecting the speaker’s opinion enough to allow them to complete their thought. Lying is seen as one of the greatest insults to a person’s character. Aarakocra consider lying as a display of apathy towards a person's feelings, a belief that they need to be shielded from the truth like a child, or that they are not intelligent enough to realise that they are being lied to. Difference in the legal and societal treatment of male and females is considered behaviour designed solely to feed a person’s ego. To subjugate an entire group of people solely based on the circumstances of their birth is a vile act, and even more so when set into law. It is because of this held belief that aarakocra have difficulty allying themselves with sexist nations such as the Aureum Peninsula and the Uzazi Plains. Birth The birth of a chick is a private affair, only able to be legally attended by members of the family. Aarakocra believe it to be unlucky to discuss the birth of a child before it is born, considering it the cause of stillborns. They see stillborns as a punishment from the gods for falling into a cynical, doubtful mindset, opposed to the deities' teachings of optimism and trust. At the time of hatching, the parents will be taken to a building known as the Greenhouse, where they will plant a tree to represent the new life of their child. As the child grows, so does the tree, and parents are expected to not only care for it themselves, but also to show their child how to take care of it in order to teach them responsibility and generosity. Child-Rearing Biparental care is the legal definition of child-rearing in aarakocran society, with both parents sharing equal amounts of time caring for their children. If, for whatever reason, one parent is unavailable, their closest adult relative of the same gender as them is expected to take over the role of parent until they return. Coming-Of-Age Since aarakocra marry at the same time as they marry, the marriage ceremony is considered a significant part of the coming-of-age ritual itself. To signify the new life that the child will be leading once they marry, the tree that was planted at the time of the child's birth is cut down on the day of their marriage by the newfound couple and sold to create the couple's starting funds. Marriage Monogamy is the legal and social standard in aarakocran society. Since aarakocra mate for life, they consider remarrying after the death of a partner or to engage in extramarital or premarital relations as similar in the eyes of the law and society. An aarakocran marriage begins at the time of an eclipse, and is initiated with preening the chosen partner's feathers. If the proposal is accepted, this will be allowed to continue. The newfound mate will then lock talons with their suitor. Preening is an intimidate gesture of affection only socially acceptable between a parent and their child or between a couple. Once the preening is done, the suitor will begin an intricate aerial display in a special area legally set aside by the family to ensure absolute privacy. This area is called the Dance Plateau because of its significance to the ceremony. This impressive dance is choreographed several weeks in advance by the suitor's parent of the same gender as them, in order to abide by aarakocran privacy laws. The dance is meant to show the betrothed the suitor's agility, grace and memory. At the middling point of the dance, the suitor's mate is expected to join them in the dance to show their willingness to stand by their mate. Much like their suitor, the partner prepares the dance beforehand with their parent. After the dance is finished, the couple will make their way to a building known as the Rookery to consummate the marriage. Death Traditionally, aarakocra do not bury their dead. Instead, they allow the corpse to be consumed by the deceased's family, They see this as the rightful way to dispose of a body, believing that, since the soul has already left, to leave the body beneath the earth or to perform any other manner of burial ritual is wasteful of a good meal. This tradition is also carried out to prevent the spread of deadly pathogens from the decomposing corpses. Ethics and Values Adherent Aarakocra desire to maintain the natural cycle of life and death, and despise any attempts to disrupt this cycle through murder or necromancy. The latter is the only magical practice criminalised within the Himmel Mountains for this reason. Helpful Aarakocra believe that everyone has a duty to help those around them, and nobody should ever shy away from helping those in need or be reluctant to attempt to save someone. They see purposefully allowing someone to die or be injured through neglect as the same as murdering or harming them yourself, and is legally treated the same as murder and physical abuse. Knowledgeable Information and expanding upon what the current generation knows and understands is one of the core concepts of aarakocran life. They see discovery and curiosity as objectively positive, and withholding information for any reason as objectively negative and a sign of a lack of trust in their intelligence and maturity. Optimistic Despite their logical stance, aarakocra maintain an optimistic outlook in life. They maintain the belief that all beings have a natural proclivity towards generosity and kindness, and that nobody is born evil, only made so by society. Even after a century of war, aarakocra preach the principle of empathy and understanding, to never judge anyone without a justified reason for doing so. Pacifistic Aarakocra believe in the sanctity of life, and that killing in anything other than self-defense, such as murder by inaction or organising someone's death, to be a disgusting and vile action. They see every living thing as deserving of a right of live, to the point where they abhor the death-sentence of other races' legal systems. Self-defense itself should only be undertaken as a last resort, when all other peaceful options have been expended, and carried out quick and as painless as possible. Polite Being polite to those around you is important to aarakocra, as it is a good way to show that you respect them. When in a room full of strangers, it is customary to shake everyone's hands and give them a cheery "good morning", or "good evening / afternoon". To not do so is incredibly rude. Similarly, saying goodbye is expected when taking leave, even in a group. Vulgarity is looked down-upon as a sign of stupidity, as aarakocra believe that those who swear lack the proper mental faculties to use proper, polite words instead. Practical Aarakocra see creations made solely for decorative purpose as ridiculous, finding that something should be made only for practical use and nothing less. For this reason, they do not dye their clothes, prepare food or work with more than the stone, metal, wood and animal hide of their natural environment for their building materials. Private Privacy within aarakocran society is very important, and breaking the privacy laws ingrained within their legal system holds a severe punishment of plucking the feathers from the offender's wings to render them flightless for several weeks. Aarakocra believe that only a parent and a child who share the same gender can see each other in the vulnerable state of nudity. The only other exception to this law is the child's partner, though only once their marriage proposal has been accepted. Tolerant Aarakocra uphold the value of tolerance as important to maintaining peaceful relations with the other races of the world. They see all philosophies, religions and cultures to be of equal value to each other, and should be treated with the utmost respect even if they are not fully understood by the aarakocra themselves. Only when an act of violence is motivated by certain schools of thought will aarakocra become intolerant towards those held beliefs, but they have never believed in criminalising those beliefs as they consider it contradictory to their stance on tolerance. Science and Technology Armour Tanned leather from animal hides is used for armour. Aarakocran armour is made up of shoulder and knee pads, a leather torso connected across the back by a merged suspender set between the wings, and a pair of leather bracers and leg greaves. This provides the utmost amount of protection available to the soldier while retaining a considerable amount of flexibility and freedom of movement. Astronomy Aarakocra are intensely intrigued by the various planes of existence found beyond Hollumund, and have dedicated many generations to figuring out the Astrolabe Cosmology Theory, which posits that the many realms are similar to an astrolabe, with the Material Plane as the central realm and the outer planes as the circulating rings. They were the first race to discover the Tears Between Worlds, the small punctures of light, also known as stars, along the filament that forms the sky, which has led to further advancements made in the field of magical study, due to a greater understanding of each source of magical power. Buildings Stone is the only material used in construction of buildings. All aarakocran buildings are exceptionally wide, in order to make room for the species' wings, and are notable for having no method of getting from one floor to the next other than flying. Homesteads are two stories in height and have a domed top. A quarter-circle is cut into the front of the second floor to serves as an entrance to the otherwise entrance-less building. The first and second floors are separated by a wooden floor, which has a semi-circle cut into it to function both as a chimney for the fire and as an entrance into the upper level of the house. The interior is made up of one room per floor and holds only the essentials: a round table for food, stools to accommodate the species' wings, a fire pit in the middle of the first floor for heat, a stone bathtub, and a closet for clothes. A large, circular bed made from goat wool is placed at the entrance of the house. Since aarakocran families share a bed, this gives them a wonderful view of the sky at night. Other buildings, such as the Rookery and the guild headquarters, are only a single story in height, but are far wider than homes. They are made up of different rooms for each part of the respective occupations, such as the entrance room, the fitting rooms, the weaving room for the tailor's guild. The interior is similarly as sparse with furniture as homes, only ever having the exact tools required for the job at hand and objects for storage and sitting. These buildings are notable for their complete lack of a ceiling, windows and walls for all but specific rooms set aside for privacy, such as the Rookery. This is because aarakocra can easily fly into the building through the top without worry, a feat impossible for other races. Clothing Wool from mountain goats is the primary material in clothing. Aarakocra do not believe in dying or stylising their clothes, instead only making changes to each article of clothing for the sole sake of comfort. To dente differences between occupations and rank, a simple insignia suffices. Shirts are held up by a collar, with an open back to accommodate the wings. Trousers are kept quite short, reaching only their knees, and have a broad waist to provide enough room for the wearer's wide pelvis. Because of the shape of their feet and the sideways position of their ears, aarakocra are unable to wear footwear or headgear of any kind. Date and Time Aarakocra employ the use of simple, stone-based sundials to tell the time and volvelles as a calendar to predict the exact day of an eclipse. Volvelles are kept in the building holding each city's committee, and use the aarakocran calendar to tell the day. Shields Wooden shields remain the choice of shield for soldiers, as metal shields have been proven to be far more cumbersome, awkward and heavy than they are worth. Weapons Wood forms the base of all weaponry for aarakocra, as it is lightweight enough to carry while also being able to deal a significant amount of damage to their opponents. After entering into the Iron Age, however, aarakocra began to mine and smelt the ores of the mountain range to produce shortswords, daggers and flanged maces. Government Occupational Guilds All occupations within the Himmel Mountains are tied to a guild, with guild members going through an apprenticeship in order to become official members. Guildmasters are those who have mastered their respective craft, who now hold a position of authority over all other members of the guild. Members of each guild are given a new surname once they become officiated within the guild. The guilds of the Himmel Mountains are: * Alchemists' Guild * Armourers' Guild * Astronomists' Guild * Bonebreakers' Guild * Farmers' Guild * Hunters' Guild * Peacekeepers' Guild * Scriveners' Guild * Stonemasons' Guild * Treasurers' Guild * Weaponsmiths' Guild * Weavers' Guild * Woodworkers' Guild Representative Democracy The Himmel Mountains are governed through representative democracy, wherein the leaders of each guildmaster holds responsibility for representing the subsidiary members of their organisations and in deciding the legislative policies and procedures of their country. This collection of guildmasters form a committee known as the Himmel High Council, while the remaining members of each guild retain the legal right to vote on any legislature they wish to pass into law or block from being made legal. Chairs of the Himmel High Council Members of the Himmel High Council are known as Chairs, referring to the seats they hold in the High Council headquarters building, where the board meets to discuss and decide on legislature. The High Council are responsible for deliberating on the complaints of their respective subordinates and the potential and best solutions to these issues according to evidence gathered by each member of the council. Voting System Voting in the Himmel Mountains is undertaken publicly under majority rule. Legal citizens meet up on a single, specific day in the centre of the town or city to decide on a conclusion to several issues. The Himmel High Council oversees this procedure and addresses both the other members of the Himmel High Council and the citizenry when holding a vote. Those who wish to vote in favour or against a motion will raise one of their hands in response to a member of the Himmel High Council's statement of the decided solution and asking the public their stance on whether it should be made legal or reconsidered. Interspecies Relations Gnoll Aarakocra and gnolls maintain a symbiotic relationship, able to compensate for the others' flaws when hunting and doubling the amount of food that they are able to bring home. Aarakocra remain tolerant of the gnoll's differing culture and religion, especially so in the case of the misandrist gnollish beliefs being in contrast to the more egalitarian aarakocran perspective. Notable Aarakocra * Freya Kriegerin Category:Lore Category:Races